Erik (Susan Kay)
Erik is the main protagonist as he appeared in in Susan Kay's Novel Phantom Character's History Erik, better known as The Phantom of the Opera was born in 1831 in St. Martin de Boscherville, France. His father died on the 3rd of May, three months before his birth. His date of Birth is not named, but looking at his fathers death, it must be in the beginning of August. His father, named Charles, was a successful, elderly, black haired and good-looking mason. His mother, Madeleine, was a rich person's child, educated in a convent school. His vain mother scorns his deformed appearance, and hides him away in their home because of it. She refuses to show her child affection, verbally and physically abusing Erik whenever he tries to get closer with her. Erik was deemed prodigious from an early age by the Father who delivered him - he taught him his lessons, and Erik discovers his extraordinary talents for singing, composing, and inventing. When an angry mob burst into their house to kill Erik, Erik escaped but his dog, Sasha, was killed. He then decided to run away from home, and only then did his mother realize she loved him. After running away from home, Erik is captured by gypsies. He is essentially forced into a freak show, being locked in a cage and forced to reveal his face for crowds of terrified onlookers. During this time, he begins to disassociate with humanity. He eventually earns the respect of the gypsies after he establishes himself as a primary source of money in their clan, eventually picking up tricks of illusion. One night, after nearly being raped by his kidnapper, Javier, Erik kills him and runs away. Now on his own, Erik is taken in by a kind architect, Giovanni, who teaches him his art. However, Giovanni had a daughter, Luciana, who was both attracted and disgusted by Erik. She toys with him until eventually, she coerces him into showing her his face, and she is so frightened that she falls off the roof of her home to her death. Shocked by this turn of events, Erik is forced to leave the first home he found kindness in. Time passes and Erik is a traveling "magician," using his talents he picked up from his time with the Gypsies. He wears a long black cloak with many hidden pockets for his tricks. This is where Nadir finds him and he asks Erik to come work for the Shah of Persia. In their journey back to Nadir's home, they form a shaky friendship that blossoms into a great one when Erik helps Nadir's sickly son. Erik becomes the Shah's mother, the Khanum's, "Angel of Death," and is charged with dreaming up and manufacturing entertaining deaths for criminals. Erik draws from his own inner demons, wanting to make mirrors as horrifying for others as they are for him, drawing up plans for a torture chamber made from mirrors. As he climbs the political ranks for his favor with the Persian monarchs, he is poisoned by jealous court members, and though Nadir helps him survive, he is forced to flee Persia. Erik flees back to France where he works with Charles Garnier in order to create the Palais Garner - secret underground tunnels and a lake are built so that Erik may live and create undisturbed by prying eyes. The rest of the novel is for the most part a retelling of Leroux's novel focused largely on his relationship with Christine. Category:Phantoms Category:Males Category:Villains Category:Antagonists Category:Phantom of the Opera Category:Humans Category:Redeemed